World News - Rumsfeld praises Afghan mission. “we are winning” we almost control Kabul

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has denied American-led coalition forces are losing the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan. He was speaking from Afghanistan on an unannounced visit for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The number of "terrorists" being killed meant it was hard for them to say coalition forces were losing, he said. His visit came a day after the UK said it would send 900 extra troops to Afghanistan, amid a spate of violence. On Tuesday, the US-led coalition said coalition and Afghan forces had killed at least 30 militants in an operation in southern Afghanistan. A coalition helicopter made an emergency landing and had to be destroyed during the raid in Sangin on Tuesday, in the volatile Helmand province, the coalition said. ... http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk

The go-ahead has been given for a new wave of UK nuclear power stations. Industry secretary Alastair Darling told MPs nuclear power needed to be part of the mix of energy supply for the UK over the next 40 years. The Conservatives say nuclear power should only be a "last resort". The Liberal Democrats accuse ministers of "surrendering" to the nuclear lobby. Tony Blair says new nuclear power stations will reduce future reliance on imports and help tackle climate change. In a Commons statement on the Energy Review, Mr Darling said new nuclear power stations could make a "significant contribution" to meeting "energy policy goals". "It would be for the private sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate new nuclear plants and cover the costs of decommissioning and their full share of long term waste management costs," he said. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5166426.stm

At least 135 people were killed today after seven explosions tore through packed commuter trains in Mumbai, India's financial centre, police say. The blasts - suspected to be caused by bombs - ripped through passenger compartments in choreographed terrorist attacks on several different trains at separate sites.The attacks, in the city centre and suburbs, came during the evening rush hour causing devastation and chaos on one of the world's busiest railway lines. Witnesses described seeing body parts strewn about the blast sites. The number of injured was estimated at more than 250 people...http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,1817999,00.html?gusrc=rss

Dark smoke and gunfire rose from several Baghdad neighborhoods yesterday as Sunnis and Shi'ites carried out brazen revenge killings, defying a heavily publicized U.S-Iraqi security campaign that was supposed to contain violence in the capital. Armed militias partially blocked the roads with burning tires, pulled people from their cars and shot them or released them depending on whether they were Sunni or Shi'ite, residents said. In some areas teenagers set up their own checkpoints in alleys, killing members of rival religious groups with impunity. "This is civil war on a wide-screen, high-resolution TV," said one Iraqi doctor who crosses several districts every day to get to work. He asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution. Residents said they could hear explosions and gunfire from the southwestern area of Jihad, a mainly Sunni neighborhood, one day after black-clad attackers, presumed to be part of a Shi'ite militia called the ...http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060710-095823-5209r.htm

The Group of Eight summit is a prime opportunity for world leaders to show they are seriously committed to fight the spread of infectious diseases, the acting head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday. "I'm quite optimistic," said Dr. Anders Nordstrom, acting director-general of the U.N. agency. "There have been G-8 meetings for 30 years, and that we are now able to have health issues (on the agenda) for the last six, seven years, it's a good sign that there is a political interest." Infectious diseases, education and energy security are on the agenda for the G-8 summit starting Saturday in St. Petersburg, Russia. The big question is whether lofty statements by G-8 leaders will translate into more money to fight scourges such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2178469

Israeli leaders ordered new incursions into the Gaza Strip, security officials said Tuesday, after the Hamas leader said he would not free an Israeli soldier whose capture by Palestinian militants led to a bloody 13-day confrontation.Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz gave the green light to additional incursions into Gaza to free the soldier and stop Palestinian rocket attacks, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.The officials said the new phase would include sending troops into areas of Gaza where they have not yet operated. So far soldiers have entered southern and northern Gaza and have approached Gaza City.The European Commission, meanwhile, said it has started delivering $765,000 in monthly aid to hospitals in the Gaza Strip through an internationally backed plan that bypasses the Hamas-led government....http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-11-israel-palestine_x.htm?csp=34